Moon Princess
by AngelofMercyMME
Summary: A/U Santana is a princess in a time long past. Her servant/best friend is Lucy Quinn. She comes to realize just how much she loves Lucy just as her kingdom is put in jeopardy by a hostile king. Will love be able to overcome all of the obstacles in their lives, or will Santana be forced to marry a man she can never love? My first fanfic. M warnings appear as necessary. Minor Bram.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any characters you recognize.

A/N Constructive criticism welcome. Let me know what you think should happen or if this should just be a one shot. I have a few chapters planned, but will probably only update weekly unless I get on a roll somehow. I will try to contain any trigger warnings there may be in each chapter heading. If I think of anything else, I will let you know. M for probably some language, adult situations, and just to be on the safe side in general. Thank you for reading!

B

"Send Lucy to me. I shall be in my room waiting to change for dinner," Santana told the head guard as one of the pages helped her out of her carriage.

"Yes, Your Highness," always the simple reply.

Santana made her way up to her room and shut the door. She placed herself in the chair that sat before her great mirror. Soon after, Lucy came through the door and shut it behind herself. She kept her head bowed, eyes on the floor, and hands clasped in front of her as she came to kneel beside her princess.

Santana turned her gaze to the blonde, fair maiden, who was her lady in waiting. She had trained for the responsibility of caring for Santana since Santana herself had picked the pretty girl out when she had been brought to her land as a "tax" or "tribute" from the new ruler of the kingdom in which she had resided. When they had met, Lucy was seven. Santana's father was, and still is, the ruler of the known world, but he allowed the nations serving him to have their own rulers and laws, so long as he had the final word. As the ruler, he got a tax from each country every year, usually consisting of money. However, this king had just murdered his own brother and his wife and daughter to ascend to the throne a couple of years back. As such, he was running low on funds that year, so he chose to have his army go out and select people to be sent to the king in place of the usual tax money.

At seven and a half, it was decided that a girl about Santana's age, a slave, should be selected and trained as her future lady in waiting. She begged her father to let her see the new slaves, and had been ecstatic when he agreed to let her come with him.

Santana had looked on all the tired, sad slaves with awe, but three people especially stood out to her. They looked about her age, but they were different than she was. They had pale skin and golden hair. It captivated Santana. She had never seen anything or anyone so beautiful in her life. Especially the smallest girl captured Santana's attention. She seemed to be the opposite of Santana in every way. Hazel eyes to the other two young children's blue eyes and Santana's chocolate, blonde hair to Santana's rich brown, and pale skin to Santana's caramel color.

While her father was talking to one of the attending guards, Santana sneaked off to find those dazzling creatures again. She had soon found them, and though they were a little shy at first, they had begun playing together. The boy's name was Sam, and the girl with the blue eyes was Brittany, but her favorite girl was named Lucy. Apparently, Lucy and Brittany were cousins, and Sam was their friend.

Meanwhile, her father was urgently searching for Santana. He had been astonished to turn around and find his pride and joy missing. When he found her, he watched silently as they played together. Santana didn't have many friends to play with since the aristocracy all tried to impress the king with how well mannered and mature their children were. It was nice to see Santana really enjoy being a child for once.

Being the kind ruler that he was, her father had selected them as her companions, and gave them special treatment in the palace. Even when they were old enough to perform duties in the palace, they remained living there as honored guests and treated as equals for the most part. They did not have many fine clothes or their own servants (though they were given authority over the other servants), but, once their duties were carried out, they were nothing more or less than Santana's friends. They even had permanent places at the king's table even though Sam helped in the garden, Brittany was just a lady's maid, and Lucy, her lady in waiting. They still did have certain boundaries to maintain, but those were not always strictly upheld. The king treated them as his own children for the most part.

Santana was brought out of her memories when Lucy cleared her throat. "Right," Santana mused.

"Is milady alright?" Lucy asked, though her focus remained on the floor in front of her knees.

It still impressed Santana how perfectly Lucy was able to separate servant moments from friend moments. It was almost like there were two different people in one body. This was servant mode. No familiarity, no informality, all submissive servant girl, perfectly obedient, as a slave would be, calm, quiet, but still sweet. That never changed. Lucy or Quinn, she was always sweet. They had decided long ago for Lucy, her first name, as her "formal" name to all the servants and to signify that it was time to be submissive with no eye contact and addressing her as "milady" and such. Quinn, her middle name, was the "informal" name to allow her to be free. Only a few people used Quinn. Santana's father (who treated Lucy like a daughter), Brittany, Sam, and only a select number of other servants, slaves, and friends called her that. Quinn was challenging, playful, fiery when the times arose, familiar, and occasionally disrespectful. It made Santana smile to think of the two sides of the coin all contained in one person with the ability to separate them or use them both.

"Milady?" Lucy sounded more worried now.

Santana had no idea how long she had been thinking in silence. She smiled, reached out, and gently moved a lock of hair that had fallen into Quinn's eyes. "I'm not hungry, are you, Q?"

Quinn smiled at the unspoken understanding of permission to switch to her informal side, though she chose to remain on her knees on the floor because she loved the princess's gentle caress as she continued stroking the soft golden hair she adored. Quinn smiled and lifted her eyes to meet Santana's. "Not really, milady."

"Good," Santana was hard to handle at times, and she knew it, but in moments like this, with her Quinn, she let down her walls and defenses, and became all gentleness and sweetness. " Why don't you tell the king that I'm still full from the late lunch, and that you and I are going to have a quiet night in and are not to be disturbed. Just you and I tonight. I'd like a quiet night to just read and talk, wouldn't you?"

Quinn's eyes lit up a little more and she nodded eagerly with a quick, "Yes, milady."

Santana's smile beamed as she stopped stroking Quinn's hair, and brought her hand to the side of Quinn's face, "Then go tell the king, grab a book, and get your ass back in here." She poked Quinn's nose just for good measure.

Quinn got up, curtsied, and said, "Yes, milady. As you wish," before rushing from the room.

Santana moved from her chair to fall on her bed. This was going to be fun. It had been a while since they had done this. Usually, Sam and Brittany would play card games or go riding or the like with Quinn and Santana. Sometimes, however, like tonight, Santana longed for peace and quiet which Brittany or Sam, though love-able, would inevitably ruin. Quinn was like being by herself without feeling lonely. Sometimes, they'd each read silently to themselves from their separate books until one or the other would fall asleep. Occasionally, Quinn would leave at night when she got tired or felt Santana needed to be alone. Sometimes, they'd play cards, discuss books, or find some activity to do together. Recently, what happened the most often is what had become Santana's favorite kind of night. Quinn would read to her until she put Santana or herself to sleep, but most of the time they had to limit how much they would read to keep from staying up all night.

Santana was broken from her reverie shortly thereafter by Quinn entering her room. They never knocked. It was kind of an understanding since Quinn was the lady in waiting. She had brought several books and a nightgown for herself to change into. She felt too self-conscious, though Santana never understood why, to walk the short distance between their adjoined rooms, which came in handy when one or the other girl had nightmares, in just her nightgown. But she also refused to use the adjoining door most of the time because she felt that would be too informal.

"Sorry that it took me so long, I always get so absorbed in the library trying to find a good range of books," Quinn chuckled at herself as she closed the door behind her. All the formality that existed in her voice from just moments earlier had disappeared. "Would you like to change now, or later?"

"Now, I think," Santana spoke without hesitation. She fully planned on falling asleep on Q's shoulder tonight. It was then that she slept the best. She always managed to feel most comfortable and warm with Quinn.

Quinn nodded, and pulled out a nightgown for Santana. Santana rolled off the bed and turned around allowing Quinn to unlace her dress and corset. Q was always extremely gentle with Santana. She almost made Santana feel like a delicate china doll as she gently caressed the angry red imprints that had formed from wearing the tight garments all day. Once she undressed Santana, she would take time to massage a few places which she knew were always sore and tight.

Santana didn't know, but Quinn took this time to admire the beautiful caramel skin against her white, and the wonderful curves of the girl she admired so much. It was not a slave's right to leer at a princess, so she did this for herself as much as Santana's benefit, but in the end, she would do anything for Santana, and this was just another way of trying to say "I love you" though nothing could ever happen between them.

Quinn reluctantly dressed the beautiful princess, sorry to watch the beautiful skin be once again hidden from sight to go unappreciated and neglected at least for the evening.

Santana made her way over to the bed as Quinn pulled down the sheets for her. Once she had climbed onto the tall bed, Quinn tucked her in, then turned around and stripped down in the far corner of the princess's room by the fireplace. She always changed as quickly as she could because, no matter how good her body looked according to other people, she felt far inferior to the beauty lying in the bed just feet away from her.

Santana watched intently knowing Quinn wouldn't turn around. She didn't understand why her friend was so ashamed. Santana was jealous of the beautiful curves of the girl. She got to appreciate them for such a short time, and only when the girl chose to stay the night in her room with her. She longed to get out of bed and just feel her skin. She wondered what it felt like. She wanted to feel her skin against Quinn's, but she had no idea why. It was probably just curiosity, or so she told herself. She looked at the ceiling just before Quinn turned around, and pretended to be pondering something.

As she brought the books she had brought for them to the bed, she tried to believe Santana was staring at the ceiling the whole time rather than at her, though she had felt the gaze of her friend and mistress burning into her back more than the hot flames of the fire which she had changed by mere seconds previous.

Once she reached the bed, she set the books on the night stand by the only candle in the room still lit so that she could slide into the bed next to her best friend and yet owner and superior. Occasionally, that got confusing, even after all these years, but they worked through it. The king and Santana were lenient and forgiving masters, even when one overstepped the boundaries.

Santana turned to lie on her side so she could give Quinn her full attention. She loved to watch Quinn read. Even when they were reading separately, she often ended up watching as Quinn got sucked into the book she was reading and lost herself in a different world. She loved even more when Quinn read aloud to her. Quinn would do all of the different voices of each character, and that, along with her facial expressions, made her even more beautiful and captivating than she was every day.

"Would you like to read separately, or would you like me to read to you?" Quinn smiled down. She asked even though Santana lying on her side, rather than her back, was a pretty good indicator of the answer. She just loved to hear the answer.

"Read to me?" Santana didn't demand when she was with Quinn. She didn't even COMMAND. She asked. Just plain and simple, asked.

"As you wish, milady," Quinn chuckled. She loved this side of her princess. She really only got to see it, and it made her feel like the most important person in the world.

Once they had chosen a book, Quinn read through about half of the book when she noticed Santana drifting in and out of sleep. She smiled and marked the page, knowing that her best friend would hate to miss anything, blew out the candle, and laid back to get some sleep.

These were her favorite nights with Santana. Just the two of them. It seemed silly, really. They never did anything crazy or over the top fun on these nights, though the nights they did do something crazy, like sneak out of the castle, were fun. Quinn still treasured these quiet nights the most.

Santana snuggled up to Quinn as she got comfortable on her back. The princess placed her head on Quinn's shoulder. Whether or not she did it in her sleep or deliberately, Quinn never knew. What she did know, was that she was happiest and most comfortable with her princess's arm wrapped possessively around her waist and her head buried in the crook of her neck.

"G'night, milady," Quinn couldn't resist a quick peck on the beauty's forehead.

Santana squirmed impossibly closer, throwing a leg over to wrap around one of Quinn's, and sighed a sigh of deep contentment. Normally, that was all Quinn received in response, but as she shut her eyes tonight, she heard a very quiet, "Mmm… night, sweetness."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See First Chapter

A/N: Turns out I got on a small roll, but I wouldn't expect this all of the time. The less you expect of me, the more likely you will be pleasantly surprised! Anyway, Hope you all enjoy this! It is going kind of slowly for now, but keep in mind, most of these are important details for later. Let me know of any other characters you would like to see or storylines you would like me to pursue or explain, and I will see what I can do.

This is all un-beta'd, so excuse any mistakes. I try to go back and fix them, but I always miss something. If you see anything, please let me know, and I will try to remedy it immediately. Thank you for all the follows and faves already. It gives me encouragement. And thank you to quinntanarivergon4life for the review! On to the best part!

Santana woke up warm and comfortable in what had to be her favorite position. In Quinn's warm embrace. She would deny it if anyone asked because she had to be the tough heir to the throne, but Quinn would never tell anyone. She loved to cuddle with Quinn, too. Yet another thing that the gorgeous girl holding her tight would keep to herself.

She stretched briefly, but nuzzled back in when her muscles felt well-stretched. Quiet mornings with Quinn were the best. Her father was out hunting with some guests and a few guards, which meant they would be gone all day, and she could get up when she wished. Since her mother had passed away mere years after Santana was born, she basically had full reign of the castle while her father was gone.

Quinn stirred, but wrapped her arms tighter around Santana before her breathing returned to its even pace.

Santana couldn't help herself when her hand reached up to caress the exposed skin of Quinn's neck that so contrasted her own. It would never cease to amaze her. They were so different, and yet, so similar. Her porcelain skin was so beautiful. She placed her hand down gently on Quinn's neck so as to not disturb her sleeping beauty. Her thumb moved across Quinn's pulse point of its own accord. She felt Quinn's slow heartbeat, and moved her head slightly lower on Quinn's chest to hear it as well. Her breathing became synced with Quinn's, and she slowly drifted back into the dream world.

When she woke again, she realized it was much lighter than it had been when she last awakened. The windows, closed and locked at night with super thick wood and reinforced with metal for protection, were leaking much more light through the small cracks. She guessed it was only about nine, though, since no one had come to check on her yet.

Santana wondered how many other princess' had kind fathers like hers. He gave her servants, but treated them as his own children. She silently pondered what life might be like without her Quinn. Her heart dropped even further into her stomach when she wondered what might have become of Quinn. She was thankful every day for the best friend and most faithful servant that was hers. She slowly glanced up at her beautiful angel sent to save her. Her face was so tranquil in her sleep. So relaxed. She studied every curve of her face, every line, every wrinkle.

Suddenly, she began to get a strange feeling in her stomach. Her body started to involuntarily lean toward Quinn, bringing her face ever closer to the girl's. Her lips parted of their own accord, but, last minute, her brain clicked and she rerouted, what she had realized was going to be a kiss, to peck the corner of Quinn's mouth.

She could feel her cheeks burning as she quickly tried to cover by shaking Quinn gently and softly whispering, "Time to get up, Q."

Quinn stirred a little, but did not awaken. Santana's heart sped up when Quinn pulled her closer in her sleep and mumbled, "Okay, baby."

The smile that spread across Santana's face like wildfire was accompanied by a blush. She was confused as to why, but she found she loved it when Quinn said that. She almost wished Quinn would call her that when she was conscious. Almost. She was afraid of the consequences for both of them. She knew her father was kind and loved Quinn, but she needed to produce an heir. So, even if she loved Quinn and Quinn loved her back, which were both BIG ifs, and even if Quinn were a princess instead of a servant girl, which she wasn't, she knew it was the longest shot in history.

Once again, she felt confused when her heart sank and her stomach twisted at that realization. Might she love Quinn? No, she couldn't. And yet…

Quinn's breathing sped up rapidly, and she began to squirm and whimper. Santana knew immediately what that meant. Another nightmare. Quinn had them at least weekly. When Santana heard her through the thin doors between their rooms, she would often go sleep in Quinn's bed with her.

"Q, baby, wake up." She startled herself when she called Quinn "baby", but quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind for later consideration as Quinn tossed and turned more violently, but still failed to wake up. Santana half sat up, leaning over Quinn, causing Quinn's arms to fall loose of her, which seemed to send her further into her dark dream. "Quinn," she shook her much harder now. Quinn was sweating and tears were streaming down the sides of her face, but she still failed to wake up as she now began mumbling unintelligible things. Santana was really worried now. Normally, Quinn had snapped out of it by now. "Wake up, Lucy," she said firmly, hoping a command would chase away the nightmares and bring her consciousness. It worked.

Quinn's eyes shot open as she violently sat up, grabbing Santana in a rough hug and whimpering as she let the remaining tears leak from her eyes.

Santana returned the hug while whispering reassurances to her. "It's okay. You're here with me now. I won't let anyone hurt you again. I promise."

Quinn's sobbing slowly petered out until she was able to talk. "This… time… it wasn't me."

Santana held her closer and settled her head on Quinn's shoulder. "It's okay now. It was just a dream."

"But it was so real. You were…" Quinn suddenly stopped and stiffened like she had inadvertently given away a state secret.

"W-what?" Santana was shocked to say the least. All this fuss over a dream about her? Normally, the nightmares were about childhood memories that had resurfaced that Quinn didn't understand or that scared her or something general from her past. Especially the branding each slave received as they left her country.

Santana's hand moved down to Quinn's left hip as she thought about it, and gently worked her thumb over to her abdomen, just a little, under the gown, that had ridden up in Quinn's violent thrashing, to the scar, and began to rub it.

At first, Quinn's breath hitched at the almost intimate gesture, then, as usual, she calmed considerably and relaxed into Santana's arms. "Just a dream," she whispered as she buried her face into Santana's shoulder.

"Yes, just a dream," reassured Santana as she rocked Quinn slowly and continued to rub the scar on Quinn's lower abdomen. A tear rolled down her own cheek as she thought about all that little Quinn must have gone through, though she rarely ever opened up about it. She had been so young when she came to live with Santana. Santana had vowed to herself to take care of the young woman and never let anyone hurt her again as long as she was alive. She had done so only a few years back, when Quinn's nightmares had become more frequent and vivid as the memories of her past had come surging back into her mind.

Quinn sighed and leaned more heavily onto Santana. Her breathing calmed to the occasional hiccup stage of crying, and then soon it ceased altogether.

Santana ceased her rocking motion and separated her body from Quinn's just enough to look into her eyes, but continued to hold her close and rub her still slightly rough brand mark. "You want to talk about it?"

Quinn shook her head, "I just…"

They were interrupted by a banging at Santana's door which was soon enough followed by Brittany's voice. "Come on, girls! Time to head out for the ride you promised me this morning! Sir Lardsworth needs a good run to let out his frustrations because of Mira's unfaithful behavior! Sam's getting all of them saddled up right now! Be at the stables in five minutes!" Brittany had named her favorite horse Sir Lardsworth for some reason. She often told crazy stories about him that no one understood or questioned, but Sam always seemed happy enough to listen to anything she said intently. She apparently believed that she could talk to him or something. She even claimed she had cured him of his addictions to gambling and cigars.

"Coming," Santana sighed. Then she realized something, "Wait, how did you know we were both in here? You said 'girls'."

"Oh, did I?" Brittany said way too innocently, even for her. "Huh," they could almost hear the shrug before they heard her footsteps echo down the large long hallways.

Santana sighed again, then looked back to the girl she was still cradling. "You were saying?"

"Oh, nothing," Quinn quickly covered with a smile. "It was just a dream." She moved out of San's arms and got off of the bed. Santana couldn't help but take notice of Quinn's flawless movements as she made her way over to Santana's closet and opened it. She turned and caught her staring, but, other than a slight smirk, which somehow turned Santana on, feigned innocence. She turned back to the closet as she asked, "What would you like to wear today, milady?"

'You,' Santana thought, then shook her head. Did she really just think that? "Uhm, you choose." She was flustered now, and it showed. She could feel what must've been a blush with all the heat that rushed to her face.

Quinn quirked an eyebrow, which, when seen by Santana, just caused her to become even more flustered. The princess's sudden mood change threw Quinn off. Was that a blush lighting San's cheeks? 'What could have changed her mood so quickly?' Quinn wondered. "Okay?" She turned to look at all of Santana's garments, pondering what would be best for riding in AND what she would like to see Santana wearing.

Santana watched the side of Quinn's face as she weighed the options of each garment. Her concentration face was so adorable that it made Santana want to squeeze her like a giant teddy bear. And, yet again, she had no idea why.

Quinn found a beautiful, flowing red gown that would not make Santana uncomfortable in the saddle. That was, by far, the most important factor in choosing this particular dress. The second reason for the dress was that Santana always looked hot in that dress. She looked radiant in red, plus, the top was just a little lower to show Santana's luscious cleavage. Quinn smiled to herself as she pulled it out. Too bad she wasn't a rich prince, then she would've done anything to win Santana's love. She wasn't though. She was the lowly servant girl whose responsibility it was to dress the beautiful princess right now. She tried to clear her face of any betraying emotions before she turned around with the dress. "Is this alright, milady?"

Santana knew when Quinn was intentionally hiding her emotions, so she knew there was something on Quinn's mind. "That's fine, but are you alright? I know there's something on your mind. Tell me? Please?"

"It's nothing, milady. I am alright. We should really get ready to ride. Brittany's waiting with Sam, who knows what they might get up to without us," Quinn chuckled, putting her own concerns to the back of her mind as she remembered recently interrupting Sam and Brittany at a very inopportune moment.

Santana knew Quinn had a point, but she also knew that Quinn was, once again, brushing herself aside to keep others happy, and San didn't like that at all. She got out of the bed and moved over to where Quinn was standing, still in her own mind. She placed one hand gently on the side of Quinn's face and the other on her arm to gain her attention. "Whatever it is, you can always talk to me about it," she looked deep into Quinn's captivating eyes, and, cliché as it was, began to feel short of breath, almost like she was drowning. Her voice lowered to a whisper as Quinn's whole body turned to face her. "I will never judge you or hate you. Not for anything. Not ever. You will always be my best friend, my favorite person, my equal… hell, in many ways my superior. There will only ever be one you. My Quinn." She smiled.

Quinn felt the tears stinging her eyes. Since when had Santana become such a softie? Damn it, she was the one crying. That made her a softie, too. What had happened to them? Quinn nodded, chuckled, and cracked a genuine smile.

A single tear escaped Quinn's eye, and Santana wiped it away with her thumb, slowly lifting her gaze to return to Quinn's. Realization dawned on her. "Shit. What has happened to me? If you tell anyone," she used the hand previously placed on Quinn's arm to point at her emphasizing her threat. The only problem was, she couldn't come up with a good one. Not a threat she could possibly mean. Not for Quinn, whose beautiful smile was even reflected in her eyes. Not when those beautiful eyes she adored were staring deep into her own. Not when tears, or rather tear, had been shed. Not when Quinn was so beautiful. "You know, the usual threat. Everyone else still has to think I'm a bad ass princess."

"Not a word," Quinn's eyes twinkled as she crossed her heart, causing Santana's to race a thousand times faster than it ever had before. Watching Santana struggle to find a threat was not only hilarious, but somehow sweet and endearing.

After Quinn had gotten Santana and herself ready, they headed out to the stables with arms linked, chatting about which horses and trails were their favorites.

Sam and Brittany were talking and waiting patiently by the horses, though the straw pieces Sam was taking out of Brittany's hair said that wasn't ALL they had been doing.

Before the girls were in earshot of their friends, Quinn pulled Santana to a stop. Quinn unlinked their arms, running her hand down Santana's arm before leaning forward and kissing Santana on the cheek near hear ear, being careful to do it on the side facing away from Brittany and Sam, though they were too engrossed in whatever they were talking about to see, and whispered, "Thank you. For everything," before rushing off to get Santana's horse by the mounting platform, leaving behind a very stunned, but very pleasantly surprised Santana.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See Chap 1

A/N: This is a shorter chapter than the other two, but I didn't want to make you all wait too long. I know I tend to lose some interest if it takes longer than a couple of days for updates, and I tend to forget what had happened in the last chapters because I read several fics at the same time.

Looks like my update is every 2-4 days now. It takes so long because I handwrite everything first, then edit it as I type but I work basically all the time, so I work on this at random times. Let me know of any ?s, comments, suggestions or requests.

Next chapter should be all cutesy and stuff. It might move a little faster after next chapter. Thanks again to quinntanarivergron4life for your review, and thank you to rainbowbright108 for being a new reviewer! I'm glad you think they are cute together as well. I can't wait for them to start being romantic either! It shouldn't be too long now!

Any mistakes are my own because I have no beta, and I really only edit it once as I am typing it. If I notice any problems, I will go back and edit it ASAP. Feel free to point anything out. And here we go!

* * *

It all happened so fast. Too fast. They had just been racing on the trails in the forest, as they had done thousands of times before, then, suddenly, out of the blue, Quinn's favorite and most reliable horse, Justice, had stumbled and sent Quinn careening head-on into a huge branch.

Justice was the most beautiful, most sure-footed steed that Quinn had. Quinn had many horses, so many, in fact, that Santana and her father had to stop giving her horses, or really, animals in general, as she already had more than two gigantic stables full of them.

Quinn always had a way with animals that Santana never understood. Well, truthfully, no one understood how she was so good with animals. She had quite the reputation with the worst of all the animals, so much so, that everyone in the kingdom with animal problems would bring their animals to her for help, or just give them to her if they just did not want to deal with them. She was given animals that people assumed were possessed by demons, and gentled them, no matter how long it took, with words and touches. Sometimes, she worked her magic in minutes, other times it took up to months or even years. Somehow, she always seemed to make them "normal" and "happy" again. Many people actually speculated that she possessed magic powers. Who knows? Maybe she did.

All animals seemed to adore her, and some wouldn't let anyone touch them but her. Others were overprotective of her in such a way that they could be labeled attack dogs. They would let no one near her if they sensed that she was uncomfortable with them, feared them, or even just wanted to be alone. Santana believed most of them would even die to protect her.

Sampson, the German Shepherd that accompanied them today, as he did on almost every single one of their rides and was even permitted into the castle (as well as any other pets Quinn desired to be with her), was one such animal. When he had come to them, he had been a vicious, snapping, and, in general, terrible wild and seemingly untamable beast. Quinn had taken him off of the streets where people had been threatening to kill him if she could not take care of him.

Now, he was Quinn's faithful, quiet, kind, and most loyal companion. He would defend her if any threat arose, as he had proven by taking on an entire pack of wolves by himself to protect them when they had been surrounded by the snarling creatures one day while she and Santana had been riding in the woods. More often than not, though, you would find him sleeping peacefully and contentedly by her feet or snuggled up with her.

At this moment, he was whimpering, nuzzling her, licking her hands, and not allowing anyone, other than Santana, near to her.

Quinn was out cold. Blood was gushing from her head and covering her cheeks. Santana knew that head wounds tended to bleed dramatically, even if they were tiny. What truly worried her was Quinn's lack of consciousness and responsiveness.

Brittany was rushing back to the castle, Sam following closely behind her, as Santana and Sampson tried to awaken Quinn.

"Come on, Quinn!" she gently stroked Quinn's bloody cheek, afraid that shaking the girl would only cause further injuries. At this point, she wanted to slap Quinn and yell at her for not waking up to tell Santana that everything was going to be alright or for getting injured in the first place. "You and I both know that, without you, I probably would've allowed my inner demon to destroy the world. You can't leave me alone in a world of brainless idiots. No one knows me like you do. Not my father. Not even Brittany and Sam. I… I need you." Threatening and joking had turned into pleading and crying.

Quinn didn't even stir. After what seemed like hours, Brittany and Sam returned on fresh horses with Santana's personal carriage and every single one of the royal doctors in tow. Santana had quickly composed herself upon hearing their approach, grabbed Sampson by his neck to allow the doctors to get near Quinn without him attacking them, and watched silently as the doctors gave Quinn a quick examination, opting to perform a much more thorough analysis of her condition at the castle.

Once they had all agreed that Quinn would be alright to make the short journey in the carriage back to the castle, they loaded her into Santana's carriage, trying to ignore the insults she hurled at them for their inability to be gentle, screams about how they knew absolutely nothing, and threats to allow and even aid Sampson in tearing them limb from limb if Quinn received any further injuries from their sheer stupidity.

Santana climbed into the carriage and allowed Sampson to ride with them so that she could cradle Quinn and try to protect her from any rough bumps on the way back.

Brittany shot a concerned look at Sam as they gathered their friend's horses.

The ride back to the castle had never seemed so long or bumpy before in Santana's life. She didn't care about the blood soiling her dress and the floor around her. She just wanted to know Quinn was going to be okay.

Thankfully, the bleeding had ceased near the middle of the journey, which gave Santana a little hope, but Quinn had still not awakened, which terrified her more than she would ever admit.

When they had unloaded Quinn and taken her to her room, once again thankful that the princess had grabbed a rope to put around the snarling beast's neck, but wishing that the could mute the Santana soundtrack, they insisted that she leave the room so that they could carry out thorough exams without distraction.

Brittany escorted the princess and the unusually quiet and submissive dog to her room. She bathed and dressed the princess, and cleaned up the large, intimidating beast. Santana and Sampson were both unnervingly quiet. The large dog followed Santana obediently, and seemed to follow her unspoken orders. He even jumped up to lie down on the bed next to her as she sat on her bed, staring at the floor, and stroking his head involuntarily, as she waited for news on Quinn's condition.

Brittany didn't know what to say, so she just watched the two of them interact differently than they ever had before. Normally, Sampson was nice to her, but he never allowed her to pet him, nor did she ever attempt to pet him on a normal day. She wondered if both of them were clinging to each other for their special connection to the beautiful girl lying broken in the next room over.

There was a knock on the door that sounded entirely too loud in the silent room. Santana wasn't even sure how much time had passed. She felt like it had been an eternity, and yet, entirely too fast.

Brittany opened the door once she had obtained a quick blank stare and nod from the princess as she wrapped her arm around Sampson's neck, just to be sure, and stared down into the dog's eyes as he brought his face up to look directly into hers. She began to understand why Quinn had a soft spot for creatures. His eyes were deep, and voicing to her that he was worried, too, but she could trust him to be there with her the whole time.

The head physician slowly made his way into the room, which seemed too small but also entirely too large to Santana. Nothing was right without Quinn, she silently noted.

She jumped when the physician cleared his throat. She didn't even remove her gaze from Sampson's as he spoke. "She should recover. She lost some blood, but it wasn't enough to put her in danger, and the small cut should heal quite quickly. She will have some bruising, and be extremely sore, but all we really need to do now is watch her injuries, keep her warm, and wait for her to wake up."

Santana gave a half-hearted smile and sighed with relief, which seemed to sooth Sampson a little as well, as she began to rub his soft ears with the hand not around his neck. Their girl was going to be alright. "When will she wake up?" she looked up at the physician.

The doctor cleared his throat, began shifting from foot to foot, and looked anywhere but at the princess, which made her frown as she narrowed her eyes at him, awaiting an answer. He mumbled something that Santana could not hear, but panicked and repeated himself so that she could understand him when both Sampson and Santana growled at him simultaneously. Brittany had to stifle a smile and a chuckle as he rushed to answer her. "We don't know. We're also not sure what she will and will not remember when she does. She might be completely fine, but she might have many memory problems at least for a short time, and hopefully not permanently."

"What good are you?!" she screamed as Sampson snapped at him, still in her arms. "Get out before I personally tear you limb from limb and feed you to Sampson and the tiger!"

He rushed out of the room at lightning speed, and Brittany shut the door after him.

Santana felt the tears coming, but she cried before no one's presence but Quinn's. "Britt, go take care of Quinn until I come. I need a little time alone." She was stroking Sampson and looking deep into his light brown eyes again. He seemed sad, too.

She heard a "Yes, Your Highness," followed by the sound of footsteps and her heavy door opening and closing.

She pushed Sampson onto his side toward the middle of her bed, lay down, buried her face in his fur, and silently let her tears escape as Sampson gave small whines occasionally. She refused to let out any noises louder than an a random gasp for air now and then. She didn't want any sound to carry through to Quinn's room. The person she needed the most in the entire world to hold her right now, was the person for whom she was currently crying. She needed Quinn to hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright, but she couldn't. She was in the adjoining room, lying on her bed, asleep for the time being. Who knows when she will wake up, or what she will remember.

Santana felt panic arise in her chest as she had three thoughts that resounded through her head before her breathing matched Sampson's and she cried herself into a fitful sleep. What if the Quinn who woke up wasn't her Quinn, what if she was different, or, worse yet, what if she was the same, but didn't remember Santana?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Who says I'm not good to you all? One day. Surprise! As promised, this is kind of a cutesy chapter, but a surprise at the beginning as well. I hope you all like it.**

**Disclaimer: Chap 1**

**Warning: This chapter is rated M for language and adult situations, AKA sex. I'm gonna say this, though, honestly, it will do no good. If you are underage, DON'T READ THE ITALICS. I said it. Now you're going to ignore me.**

**Anyway, as always, thanks for the follows/faves and reviews. Enjoy!**

_ She felt a dip in the bed behind her, and an arm wrapped around her waist. Her body instinctively cuddled up to the warm body behind her whose scent was unmistakable._

_ She turned around to snuggle in to her favorite embrace in the world. As she did so, lips crashed into hers and left her breathless. She was so stunned that she almost didn't kiss back. Almost. She still hadn't opened her eyes, but she didn't need to do so to know who it was. For some reason, being with Quinn like this just felt right._

_ Quinn's hands slowly brought up Santana's nightgown until she momentarily parted their lips to bring it over Santana's head and down her arms in one swift motion. She mashed their lips back together as soon as the clothing had been removed. Santana wasn't sure how she had missed it earlier, but when she finally moved her hands to Quinn's hips, she was met with warm skin. She recognized Quinn's lack of clothing and was thankful she wore nothing under her nightgown most nights. She slowly trailed her fingers up Quinn's warm skin to her bare breasts, and began to knead them gently._

_ Quinn shuddered and moaned in Santana's mouth, but did not pull away. Instead, she followed San's example, and slowly trailed one hand down Santana's skin to grab a handful of Santana's ass in a rough squeeze as she pulled the girl closer to herself. She drew random patterns on Santana's ass as her hand made its way down to her inner thigh. She gently lifted the princess's leg to place one of her own between them. Santana returned the favor on instinct, shoving her leg roughly into Quinn's core. They were both embarrassingly wet._

_ Quinn pulled back for air as Santana opened her eyes slowly. She rested her forehead against San's, smirked, and looked her dead in the eyes for the first time since this whole situation had begun._

_ Santana took time to just stare into the golden-green eyes she loved that were now much darker and clouded by lust. Soon, however, her thoughts were interrupted as Quinn began to rock against her core agonizingly slowly. Santana let out moans unconsciously, and slammed her eyes shut in ecstasy. She had no idea it would feel like this. So right, so perfect._

Before she had any consciousness of her surroundings, she was sitting straight up in her bed as Sampson let out a throaty growl next to her. She slowly became aware of a load, persistent knocking at her door. She was sweating, drooling, and pretty sure her hair mimicked that of a male lion's mane, sticking out in every direction. She would have to consider the implications of her dream later.

For now… "WHAT?!" she yelled as she wrapped the covers around her. She began to stroke Sampson who was still on the bed beside her, but had turned so that he was lying perpendicular to her with his head and front paws resting on her waist.

"Just me, mija," her father's voice carried through the door. "I told Brittany to get some rest. She's been up all night with Quinn, but, so far, there's no change. She said she was going to send someone to take her place with Quinn until you were ready to see her, or until she has gotten some rest. Do you want her to dress you before she goes to sleep?"

"No thank you, Papi, just send her to bed. I can take care of myself for one day." She felt guilt rise in her chest. Not only had she forgotten about her promise to relive Brittany from Quinn duty, but she had also been having a wet dream about the girl in the adjoining room, still unconscious and injured because SHE had coaxed the girl into, yet another, childish competition. If she hadn't begged Quinn to race her, she would be here right now after having spent the night reading together.

"Whatever you want, mija," he said before she assumed he walked away.

She got up, and quickly dressed in a simple gown without strings on the back. She skipped the corset for today. Quinn would've been proud of her, not only for dressing herself, but for forgoing constricting outfits. She often voiced her fears that the corset might be hurting San more than they were aware of, but Santana almost always insisted on wearing one because she felt they made her look damn good. Not that she didn't look damn good in anything, as a matter of fact, she could MAKE anything look damn good, but she felt the corset made her look especially damn good, she thought.

Quinn, however, looked amazing in a simple gown. That woman could pull off anything. Especially when she allowed her long hair to flow over her shoulders in waves or curls.

Santana smiled to herself as she sat down before her vanity to apply her make up. Quinn never put enough on for Santana's taste, so she always had to sneak around and touch up her make up when Quinn was distracted, much to Quinn's protest. Quinn frequently told her that she didn't need make up to be beautiful, and she only felt truly beautiful when Quinn reminded her that that was how she felt.

She sighed and looked into the mirror. This was where Quinn would usually stop applying make up and San would put on the rest. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to apply more. Her hand would reach half way to her face before thoughts of Quinn would invade her head. Today, more make up just felt like she was lying and being fake. She really just wanted to be with Quinn, hear her tease her princess or watch her roll her eyes as she applied more make up herself.

She slowly gathered everything up, and put it back where it was supposed to be. Quinn wasn't dead. She just had to wake her up somehow. She tied a rope to Sampson, just to be sure she had control of him. She wasn't sure if he'd listen to her commands like he did for Quinn, so, better safe than sorry, she thought.

Before she had really processed a plan or anything, she was opening the doors that separated her room from Quinn's, Sampson's rope in hand. The room was dark, but Santana knew it well enough to know how to navigate it in the dark, so moving around in it by the lights leaking through the cracks in the heavy window shields and the single candle that was near the bed made it about ten times easier.

Brittany must not have sent anyone up to the room yet. No one was there watching Quinn, but Santana wasn't complaining. She would've just sent whoever it was away anyway. She could take care of Quinn.

Sampson began to pull towards Quinn's bed, so Santana sped up a little to keep up with him. After all, she was just as excited to see Quinn as he was. He gingerly jumped up next to the large lump in the bed. Something squealed.

Santana's heart jumped into her throat, and butterflies filled her stomach. Was Quinn awake? Did Sampson bring her back? "Quinn?" her voice was so filled with hope. Sampson immediately growled, jumped off of the bed, fur bristling, as he returned to Santana's side, poised for action at a command or if an immediate threat arose. His reaction told her something was amiss.

Part of the lump stirred and sat up. The head of a small brunette girl poked out, her eyes white with fear at the growling dog at Santana's side. "Sampson, please don't bite me again. Quinn told you about me." Then her gaze shifted to the princess and she turned pale. She hadn't realized at first who was holding Sampson, and now, she just wanted to faint. "Y-your Highness?" she squeaked in an octave so high that Santana was surprised all the dogs in the kingdom hadn't burst through the doors yet.

"Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing in Quinn's bed?" she growled, giving Sampson a run for his money on the "most intimidating growl" award.

The small brunette scrambled out of the bed, did a very shaky courtesy, and squeaked, "My name's Rachel, Your Highness."

The girl was even smaller than she had originally thought. Santana snarled at her. "Okay, circus midget. I repeat, what the fuck were you doing in Quinn's bed? And this had better be a good explanation, or Sampson here would be more than happy to bend down to your level and remove the head from your shoulders." Sampson growled, as if on queue. Santana knew he knew his name, and knew enough to know that she liked to use him to threaten people now that they had bonded and were friends? Well, allies at least.

The midget visibly gulped as she moved her eyes back and forth between the princess and the small bear beside her, not sure of whom she should be more afraid. "Uhm, I was just trying to keep her warm. We're friends, and I didn't think that she'd care. All I wanted to do was make sure that she was alright, Your Highness, I promise."

Santana narrowed her eyes at the trembling girl, and, though she was inclined to believe her (after all, Quinn was nice to basically everyone), she decided to have a little fun. "Quinn friends… with you?" She looked down at Sampson, and he looked up at her. "What do you think, Sampson? Shall we behead her for lying to a princess, or let her go with a warning this time?" Sampson looked back at Rachel and snarled. "I totally agree," Santana smirked, kneeling down beside him to untie the rope. "Midget, use your circus training and your stubby legs to get out of here. You have until I untie the rope to leave without losing an already tiny appendage."

The girl fled the room, closing the door behind her.

Santana chuckled, scratching Sampson's head as he sat down and began to pant, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. Santana was sure she saw an amused sparkle in his eyes as he waited patiently for her to set him loose. She finally got the rope undone, and patted him on his side. "We make a pretty good team," she giggled. "No wonder I'm starting to like you. You're just like me." She released him, and sat on the bed next to Quinn. She looked down at Sampson, and realized he was waiting for permission to move, so she patted the bed on the other side of Quinn to give him permission to not only move, but join them on the bed. "Let's take care of our girl." She crawled under the covers, gently placing her arm around Quinn's waist, and snuggled into her shoulder. Suddenly, realization hit her. She knew just what to do. She kissed Quinn's cheek, promising to be right back, and hopped out of the bed, confusing Sampson, whose head popped up and followed Santana's quick motions as she disappeared to her room and returned with what she needed.

Once she had gotten re-situated next to Quinn in the bed, she again kissed her cheek and whispered into her ear, though she was pretty sure Quinn wouldn't wake up remembering it, "Now it's my turn to serve you."

She opened the book to where Quinn's marker indicated they had left off (she was sure to leave it there though in case Quinn wanted to go back when she woke up), and began reading in all the voices with all the accents, just like Quinn did. Though it really wasn't much, she felt like things were going to be alright now. She would take care of Quinn whether she was her Quinn or someone else, and whether she remembered her or not. She owed it to Quinn. Somewhere in there was her Quinn, and she didn't mind spending the rest of eternity working to bring her back. She had made her mind up.

Was this love? She was beginning to wonder, and, though that thought and the implications that came with it terrified her, it felt right. Everything was right with Quinn and wrong without her.

That could be dealt with at a later time. For now, her job was to bring Quinn back to her, and that was exactly what she was going to do, no matter how long it took. She would work to learn the enduring patience Quinn had learned while working with her animals, and apply it to this situation, if need be. The one thing she would never do was give up. She would bring Quinn back. She had to. She needed her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Yeah. Whatevs.**

**A/N: I'm SOOOOOO sorry it took me so long. I was good to you while I could be, but sometimes life gets in the way. Work has been crazy lately and the weather isn't helping anything. But I'm back today. Hopefully this won't happen again. Thank you all for the follows faves and reviews. Since I made you wait so long, I'll stop rambling. Here it is.**

Movement under her head slowly awakened her.

"San, I have to pee. Move." Quinn's morning voice echoed in her ears, though she was too out of it to really process anything. She did, however, roll over and go back to sleep.

When the bed dipped behind her signaling Quinn's return, she grumbled a bit, rolled back over to Quinn, and nuzzled in as close as she could get, throwing an arm around Quinn's waist.

Quinn, still half asleep herself, chuckled at Santana's cuteness that only she was privy to, but her smile vanished and her chuckling ceased when something clicked. Immediately, every hint of tiredness flew from her body and her eyes shot open. "San?" she shook Santana a little less than gently. "Santana?" she repeated the girl's name louder. She had begun to freak out, and she needed Santana awake NOW.

Santana grumbled, burying her face deeper into Quinn, "Just a little longer, Q?" Her brain woke up with a snap, and she sat up so quickly that she literally fell out of the bed.

Under any other circumstance, this would have been hilarious, but, right now, Quinn was just concerned with the fact that she couldn't remember how she had gotten to her room. The last thing she remembered was helping Santana mount her horse so they could go for their ride. After memories of mounting Justice and calling Sampson to go with them, everything was black. It was scaring her to no end. "S-San?" was all she could manage to get out before her throat closed. She didn't even have a clue where to start or what to ask. Had it all been a dream? She had fallen asleep in San's bed last night. What was going on? She sat up and stared at her hands as if they held the answers to her questions.

Santana got over her initial shock, and quickly scrambled back up onto the bed in front of Quinn, taking her face in both hands so she could look into Quinn's eyes. "I'm so glad you're awake." Tears began at a slow trickle, but increased as she asked the questions that really scared her. "Do you remember who you are?" Quinn nodded at Santana. "Good," she took a deep breath and swallowed hard, shutting her eyes tightly, as if that would save her from the possible nightmares if this next question was answered negatively. "Do you remember who I am?"

Quinn wasn't sure what compelled her to do so, maybe it was a gesture of comfort, but it felt like something more, too. She gently placed one hand on Santana's forearm, slowly rubbing the soft skin with her thumb, and the other hand on the side of Santana's face, stroking her cheek as she leaned her forehead against Santana's and gently whisper-chuckled, "As if I could ever forget you."

Santana released the breath she had been holding in, and relaxed slightly, tears continuing to freely fall in a silent stream from her eyes, streaking down her beautiful face. "I thought I might've lost you for good. I wouldn't be able to survive without you. I'm so sorry, Quinn. I will never be so careless again. Without you…" her voice cut out as she fought back sobs.

"Shhh, San," she stroked the girl's hair. "I'm right here. You won't lose me. It's okay. I'm alright."

Santana fell into Quinn, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist as she crawled into her lap. She placed her head on the blonde's chest to be sure it was really beating and this was real. She just needed to hold the girl close in case she somehow slipped away from her again.

Quinn gently gathered the smaller girl into her as closely as she could, rocking her slightly and letting the beautiful princess calm down as she whispered soft reassurances to her.

"I'm so sorry, Quinn. I'm so very sorry," had become Santana's mantra as she let herself be held.

"Why do you keep saying that, sweetheart?" Quinn inquired softly without ceasing to rock the fragile brunette and stroke her hair.

"I was the reason you got hurt," Santana suddenly felt disgusted with herself. Feeling unworthy to be held, and in the wrong for feeling comforted rather than doing the comforting (after all, she wasn't the injured one, in her mind, she was the injurer), she tried to push out of Quinn's embrace.

Quinn was having none of it, and only held the fragile girl to herself more tightly than before. Santana tended to overreact to things and blame herself, so Quinn knew there had to be an explanation. "Tell me," she whispered lowly.

Santana gave up trying to push away from Quinn. She was too weak from crying to really apply much force. Quinn was probably stronger than she, or at least matched her in strength, on any given day. They were both deceptively small, but alarmingly strong. They could both pack a punch if they wanted to do so, and they were both stubbornly obstinate, which ended in more than one slap-fest and/or wrestle-off.

She took a deep breath and dispelled it slowly, hoping to ease the fear that Quinn would surely hate her when she had finished explaining how she was injured. However, she also knew that stalling was no good as Quinn wouldn't release her without an explanation. Unlike Santana, who could not sit still for more than three minutes at a time, patience was one of Quinn's many virtues. She could play the waiting game all day. "I was the reason you got hurt," Santana muttered, settling back into Quinn. If this was the last moment Quinn didn't hate her, she should treasure being held like this. "I insisted we race through the forest. Justice stumbled, and, since I had pushed you to go so fast, you flew off of him and head first into a tree. You were bleeding so much and wouldn't wake up. I thought I had killed you." She hugged Quinn one last time before attempting to push away from her embrace once again. "It's okay if you are mad with me or hate me. I understand. I just hope some day you can forgive me, but if you don't, I understand that, too."

Quinn held Santana tightly, refusing to let her go, but chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You idiot. You're so melodramatic sometimes. How was that your fault? Apparently, I wanted to race. You know I'm too stubborn to do something that I don't want to do. Sometimes, not even when you issue a command. It was just an accident. It wasn't anyone's fault." Quinn felt Santana relax and loosened her grasp on the brunette just a little. "I'm still here and I'm alright. You and Sampson took great care of me." One of her arms left Santana's small frame to scratch Sampson between his ears."

Santana chuckled, more comfortable now that she knew Quinn didn't hate her. She relaxed a little, though she still secretly blamed herself for the accident. "He's not that bad once you get used to him," she admitted.

Quinn pulled back to look into Santana's eyes with disbelief, and had a small, internal freak out. "How long was I out?!"

Santana's tears had slowed to a stop and she couldn't control the giggle that escaped her. Quinn's reaction was just so priceless. She kissed the corner of Quinn's mouth, though even she wasn't exactly sure why. It did, however, send shock waves of electricity through her body and, unbeknownst to Santana, Quinn's body, too. "Only a little over a day, but we bonded over threatening people's lives if they so much as knocked one of your hairs out of place." She snuggled back into Quinn's chest with a huge smile on her face. "He's pretty smart."

Quinn looked into Sampson's eyes and noticed how relaxed he was. Usually, he was on high alert, prepared to attack anyone Quinn was with at the time. Right now, however, there was a calmness in his whole demeanor that was usually reserved for when he and Quinn were alone. For some reason, this caused her heart to flutter for a second time (the first being the almost, or what she had hoped was, kiss). "Never thought I'd see the day when you two would be buddies. I can't believe you warmed up to each other." A mischievous smile crept onto Quinn's face. "Then again, you are a bitch," she teased.

Santana lightly slapped Quinn's arm, "No need to be mean." However, she couldn't contain the smile that took over her face at the fact that this was her Quinn teasing her. She was so happy to have her back.

"Just sayin'," Quinn continued, returning her hand from Sampson to Santana to stroke her long beautiful locks. "It was bound to happen. You are two peas in a pod if we go by attitude and protectiveness of me."

There was a soft knock on the door, and Santana leapt out of Quinn's lap, fiercely wiping away any traces of tears as she settled next to Quinn.

As much as Quinn missed the close contact and the bonding moment that they were just engaged in, she had to admit that she liked being the only one privileged enough to see that side of the princess. Besides, it was rather humorous to watch.

Quinn was too busy giggling at her violent reaction to answer the door, so Santana called out, "Come in."

Brittany slowly entered the room, not lifting her eyes from the floor as she was trained to do. "I'm sorry if I awakened you, milady. I just came to see if you needed anything or if you wanted me to bring in the doctors to see if there was any change today."

Quinn cleared her throat, and couldn't suppress the mega-watt smile that spread from ear to ear as Brittany's head shot up, eyes twinkling with delight and happy tears. She opened her arms just in time to catch the taller girl as she flung herself at Quinn. Sampson let out a low growl beside Quinn, which didn't even seem to phase Brittany.

Santana felt a surge of protectiveness swell in her chest at how carelessly Brittany had launched herself at Quinn, and began to pry Brittany's strong embrace off of Quinn. It was like trying to peel open a suit of armor with your bare hands. "Britt," she grunted, "remember she's injured."

Brittany shot up with concern-filled eyes. "Oh my Zeus. Did I hurt you?"

"No, Brit, you didn't," she reassured the girl who immediately renewed attempt to pop Quinn's eyeballs out of her skull by squeezing. "And you," she turned to Santana. "You need to calm down before I put you on a leash with Sampson."

"Fine," Santana crossed her arms and pouted, facing the corner of Quinn's room like a petulant child who had just been told that she couldn't have a toy she didn't need.

"I feel fine. I'm not even sore." Quinn muttered more to herself than to either of her companions. "I feel like I took a nap. Nothing hurts or even feels out of place. Nothing at all."

Santana unwound her arms and stared at Quinn with a puzzled expression. "Really?"

Brittany finally released her death grip on Quinn when Santana tapped her. She moved down toward the edge of the bed, giving the girls a lot of space, as Santana rolled onto her knees and straddled Quinn to inspect her neck and head for injuries. She found none, save for one extremely small scab on the front of her scalp. Could that have really produced all the blood that had covered her and Quinn yesterday? "Huh," she quietly mused. "I guess your injuries weren't as severe as I thought they were."

Quinn studied Santana's confused expression for a moment. "Maybe the traumatic nature of the whole incident just made you imagine it was worse than it actually was?" Quinn offered.

Santana's face softened into a small half smile half smirk as she met Quinn's eyes and shook her head as she settled herself onto Quinn's lap and moved her hands to the sides of Quinn's face. "Even a bump to the head can't slow you or your intellect down, can it? Never stop being you. Please. You're perfect the way you are."

Quinn stared deep into the mocha eyes of her beautiful princess, and the rest of the world melted away. "Same goes for you," she whispered in return as her hands settled onto Santana's hips and her forearms onto San's thighs. She and Santana seemed drawn forward to each other. Their bodies leaned their faces closer together, and as their breathing began to mingle, both hearts skipped a beat or two.

A low growl interrupted both of their movements as they both remembered that they were not alone. Another growl emanated from the dog's throat. Brittany had apparently been frozen in place since letting go of Quinn. Sampson had her pinned in place with his stare. He had his ears laid against his head, doing his best to threaten her in dog-speak.

Brittany seemed to have missed their whole exchange, which both girls were thankful for. She seemed most concerned with the next words she uttered. "Is he gonna eat me?"

Santana and Quinn burst into laughter, pushing the last few minutes into the back of their minds to think through further later as they got up to save Brittany and get their day started.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Shwew! I've been working hard to make last week up to you all. Never say I didn't do anything special for you. Author's note/ rant is now at the end so you all can get to reading faster. This chapter is a little longer as a reward for not hating me or killing me when I didn't update last week.**

_**Thoughts are in italics.**_

**Disclaimer: Raspberries… also see first chapter**

**Warning: Use of strong language. Like, 5 or 6 times…**

Santana had been doing everything she could the last two days so Quinn didn't have to do anything. It was sweet at first, but now Quinn found it patronizing and annoying. Santana's father even gave Brittany all of Quinn's duties. At least until he was sure she was "completely recovered".

Currently, she and Santana were sitting in the grand courtyard reading their books separately. "I think I'm going to go to the barn to play with Sampson after I work with the new arrivals. Apparently, there are a couple of really jumpy horses that were dropped off the other day." She was going stir-crazy and she just needed SOMETHING to do.

Santana immediately shut her book and was on her feet in record time. "I'll go get Sampson for you. Just stay right there. I'm sure the horses can wait until you are okay again."

Quinn's self-control snapped. "No! I understand you're trying to be sweet, but I'm done being babied! I AM FINE! And I'm so fucking bored! Brittany doesn't need to be doing my job for me. I can't just do nothing all day!" She hopped up from her seat fuming, and launched her book in a random direction. "I've fucking had it with this shit!" she screamed at the sky.

Santana stood there staring at the blonde with her jaw slack from shock at Quinn's unforeseen outburst. She hadn't known that was how Quinn felt, but, now that she thought about it, it made sense. "Granted," was all she said, then, when Quinn looked at her with a quirked eyebrow, quietly added, "as long as you tell someone if it gets to be too much. Take it easy. For my sake? Please?"

Quinn relaxed and took a deep, cleansing breath. Now she understood. This was more for Santana's sake than her own. Besides, Santana never said 'please' and she was unintentionally giving Quinn the puppy-dog look. She slowly exhaled and gave Santana a small half-smile, "Agreed."

Santana relaxed when Quinn acquiesced, but she didn't really want to just leave Quinn. If Quinn wanted to be alone, she didn't want to be in the way and annoy the girl. On the other hand, she really didn't have anything else to do today, so she really wanted to go with Quinn.

The blonde noticed the look on Santana's face, and had a pretty good idea what was going through the other women's head. "Would you like to come with me? I'm sure Sampson wouldn't mind playing with both of us."

Santana's eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously. "I've got to admit, I've kind of missed that rascal today."

Quinn chuckled as she retrieved the book she had thrown in her mini-tantrum. "He's probably missed you, too. You bonded so well. He's a lot like me, though. He can't stand to be cooped-up for too long without a job to do. Usually he protects me, but you kind of took that over the last couple of days. I'm sure you noticed him pacing by my bedroom door last night. I think he got cabin fever, too."

The brunette smiled. "He could pick many worse people to be like," she said under her breath.

"What did you say?" Quinn yelled over her shoulder at the princess as she had begun to walk toward the stable area.

"Nothing!" Santana jogged to catch up to Quinn. "So, these new horses you mentioned. What did you say was wrong with them?"

"All I've been told is that they shy at every noise. They probably just need to be shown a little love." Quinn went off into the world of her own mind to formulate a plan of action with the nervous creatures.

Santana loved Quinn's concentration face. "Maybe… I mean… Do you think… Maybe I could come see how you do it? I mean… If you need to be alone or you don't want me to come with you, I understand. I'm just curious. The other servants have talked about how amazing you are. I've just always been too busy to come watch for myself. But, like I said, if you don't want-"

Quinn giggled at Santana's adorable rambling. Normally, she insisted on being alone, but this was just too cute to resist. She laid a hand on Santana's upper arm momentarily as they walked to halt Santana's ramble. "Yes, San. You may come as long as you agree to do exactly as I say. I wouldn't want to be the reason the fragile little princess was injured. I think the kingdom might not approve," she finished her sentence with a mischievous smirk.

Santana slapped Quinn playfully on the arm. "I'm NOT fragile or little. I'm more of a bad ass than you are."

"Whatever you say. Just wait until you see what beasts are in my stables." Quinn reached the door to the first stable, grabbing the door latch, and turning to smirk at Santana. "They may just eat you alive."

Quinn's last sentence was said in a low, teasing tone that Santana was sure was meant to scare her. Instead, she found herself incredibly, no immensely, turned on. Now, she knew she felt something for Quinn, more than just attraction. I mean, she felt attracted to Quinn, yes, who wouldn't be? Quinn is gorgeous to no end, sweet beyond compare, smart enough to intellectually challenge basically anyone, and all around amazing, but this? This was a whole new level of admiration, or so the butterfly hurricane in her stomach informed her. "O-okay," was the only coherent thought she was able to pull from her brain and push out of her mouth.

Quinn quirked an eyebrow, but continued smirking, and leaned in toward Santana as close as she could get to her ear, tickling her enough to give her shivers when she whispered with her hot breath, "Scared, bad ass?" before leaning back into the door to chuckle at Santana's facial expression.

Santana had felt all the blood rush to her face at about the same time the butterflies declared World War III. She barely managed to stutter out, "N-no."

Quinn took this as affirmation of Santana's fear, so she stretched out her arm, entwined their fingers, and opened the door, slowly backing into the dark hallway, keeping her eyes on Santana. "Don't worry, princess. I'll protect you."

Santana wasn't sure if she should feel offended, safe, or turned on. Her body went with turned on. She was pretty sure, at this point, she would willingly follow Quinn straight through Hell if she continued using that tone of voice, holding her hand, and promising to keep her safe as she had done just now.

When Quinn had gotten both herself and the unusually quiet princess fully through the door, she shut it soundly behind them. Her attention immediately turned to find the keeper of the stables that Santana's father had allowed her to hand-pick. "Mike?" she called quietly, so as to not disturb the easily frightened horses.

A few neighs and whinnies echoed through the dark, tranquil barn before a lean, dark-haired young man about their age appeared, slowly backing out of a stall. "Just a sec," he responded in like manner. He shut and barred the door from which he had just exited top and bottom before approaching them. "All better I see, beautiful?" He spoke gently to Quinn, and seemed kind.

"Absolutely perfect, hot stud," she gave him a beaming smile.

Santana couldn't help but feel a little worried that something was going on between them that she was unaware of, so she immediately cleared her throat, instantly catching the attention of the offender.

His eyes went wide and his whole body rigid as he had been ignorant to this point that he was in the presence of royalty due to his lack of observation in the low lighting. He gave a stiff, awkward bow, and did not look up from the floor as he gave a quick, "Welcome, Your Highness. I'm so sorry I didn't see you."

Santana replied gruffly, "It's fine. I believe you have some new horses that need Lucy's attention." She squeezed Quinn's hand a little more tightly and placed herself half-way in front of Quinn, between her and this new threat to her claim on Quinn's attention. She wasn't sure exactly why she didn't like this "Mike" all of the sudden, but she was pretty sure it had to do with how he interacted with HER Quinn.

"Yes, milady. This way." He began to lead them down the dark corridors to another hallway which had an open window on the end, and allowed greater visibility.

Quinn was allowing herself to be lead by Santana, who had a strangle hold on her hand. She was puzzling at the princess's sudden mood change. Treating Mike like that was totally unnecessary. He had been nothing but kind to the both of them.

Mike halted before a stall door. "Here is one of them, and the other is the next door down, milady."

"Thank you. You may return to your duties now," Santana spoke shortly.

Mike bowed. "Yes, milady. I will be around if you need anything."

"Very good." Santana shot him a quick nod, and he began to rush back to his work.

Quinn snapped out of her reverie in time to say, "Thank you, Mike. We will let you know." She wrenched her had out of Santana's as soon as Mike disappeared around the corner and began whispering harshly at her. "What the Hell was that? That was SO uncalled for. He is nothing but nice. Why did you treat him like dirt? You may be a princess, but he is a person, and deserves to be treated as one with equal kindness."

Santana sighed. Quinn was pretty much always right. "I don't know what got into me," she lied. "It won't happen again. I'm sorry."

"You need to apologize to Mike, not me," Quinn crossed her arms.

"I will. I just… Okay," Santana sighed, and began to move to where Mike had recently disappeared.

Now Quinn knew something was going on with Santana for sure. Santana's moods were all over the place. She stopped the princess before she could pass her, gently running her hand down the soft skin of a sun-kissed forearm. "What's wrong?" she gently inquired.

Santana jumped a little at the unexpected touch. "N-nothing." She plastered on a fake smile.

Quinn reached up to stroke the side of the darker girl's face. "You can tell me. Please don't lie to me."

Santana leaned into Quinn's hand a little, extending her own hand to hold it in place. The gentle scent of the blonde's lavender skin treatments filled her nostrils and fogged up her brain. "I guess I'm just jealous." _Shit, did that really just slip out?!_

Quinn's eyes went wide as her heart raced with hope. "Jealous? Of what?" Her heart was praying she was jealous for the way she and Mike play-flirted. Her head told her that could never happen.

"Uhm…" she had to come up with a lie quickly. "Your relationship with Mike, I mean, you probably see each other all the time. He seems like he likes you a lot, and from what I can see, he seems nice. I hope he makes you happy. I wish I had someone like that."

"I'm sure you'll find someone to love, San. You're amazing and beautiful and strong and smart and kind. Well, kind when you want to be." Quinn chuckled, though her heart ached a little because of Santana's answer, and both girls hands returned to their own sides. "Besides, Mike and I are just friends. I think I'm already in love with someone else." She stared deep into Santana's eyes, wishing that the beautiful princess felt the same, though she knew she never would.

"Oh," Santana swallowed. She felt her heart shatter into a million pieces at the thought of Quinn being in love with someone else. Now, she would lose her for sure. What would she do without Quinn? She reeled in her thoughts as quickly as possible. For now, she needed to push her own feelings aside and be Quinn's friend, no matter how much it killed her inside. "Do I know him?" Quinn nodded. "Oh, who is it?"

"I'd rather not say," Quinn looked at the floor.

"Okay," Santana felt like someone did an Irish jig on the million pieces of her heart and then fed it to a pack of hungry tigers. "Is he at least nice?"

"The nicest person I know. Well, really only to me, though. Everyone else only gets the bad ass show." Quinn smiled to herself as described Santana in every answer.

"How serious are you two? Will I lose you to wedding bells soon?" Santana was getting ready to collapse in tears, but she held it back for Quinn. After all, this is what friends do, right? Talk about love interests and stuff?

Quinn forced a chuckle from her throat and a short smile on her face as she began to pick off some loose wood from the wall on which she had begun to lean since she was losing her own strength to the need to cry. She shook her head. "I haven't confessed it. Our positions in life are so different. Someone so high above me would never even consider me. There are just too many obstacles to overcome. I'm not worth it."

Santana could not believe what Quinn said, and manipulated the blonde to read the sincerity in her eyes by placing both of her hands gently on either side of the taller girl's face. "Are you kidding?! Anyone would be lucky to have you, no matter the obstacles, and if he can't see that, then he's an idiot and, therefore, not worthy of you, not the other way around. Screw position or money or whatever other obstacles. You are worth fighting for. No matter what. I'd be lucky to have someone like you in love with me. You're amazing and wonderful. I don't know what I'd do without you. Tell the guy, and if he turns you down, I'll have his balls cut off and fed to the pigs."

Quinn chuckled. _You don't have any balls_, she thought to herself.

"I'm serious, Q. I'll do it. You need to know you are worth it. I need you to understand that." A tear escaped from her eye as she pushed her own confusing feelings for Quinn aside to encourage the girl to be happy or at least give it a shot with the one she loved.

Quinn once again placed a hand on Santana's face, and softly brushed away the tear with her thumb, staring into her watery eyes for a moment before leaning their foreheads together. She closed her eyes and got lost in her thoughts for a moment. She didn't even know how it happened or even who had initiated it, but she suddenly felt her lips colliding with Santana's. Now she knew she had initiated. It must have been her fault. The princess would never kiss a lowly slave. Especially not her lowly female slave. Her own lady's maid. She stumbled back after a moment, fear engulfing her beautiful hazel eyes, before she sprinted off toward the castle, leaving behind a wide eyed princess. What had she done?

**A/N: Surprise! How did you like it? I hate AND love cliffhangers. Anyway. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I rewrote it, like, 5 times. Any mistakes are mine. No beta. I will try to answer any Questions you have. If you have any suggestions, feel free to drop me a PM or review. Thank you amazing, wonderful, sweet people for following and favoriting and reviewing. You all are the best audience ever! Hopefully, you will hear from me again soon! My beagle is snoring, so I'm pretty sure that means it's time for me to go to bed! Good night!**


	7. Chapter 7

What had she done? Why had she kissed Quinn? She made her best friend in the world, who had just confessed to her that she was in love with someone, run away from her. Her heart had told her to do it. It felt so right.

What should she do now? Run after Quinn? Or just let her go? Should she pretend it never happened? She can't deny her feelings now. It felt so right to be kissing Quinn, but the girl she loves, loves someone else. This is just too much to take in at this moment. Her head was too full of thoughts to think about anything clearly. Maybe she should just give Quinn a little space. _That's probably what we both need._

She settled on giving Quinn some space for a while so she'll have time to settle down. That would also allow Santana to figure out what to do or say.

"Mike?" she quietly called. When he appeared out of some random direction with his head down, she continued in a low voice. "Firstly, I would like to apologize to you for my behavior earlier. That was inexcusable. I ask for your forgiveness."

Mike's head popped up, with an inquisitive expression. Once he had found nothing but sincerity in her expression and gotten over his initial shock, his eyes twinkled. "Thank you, Your Highness. Apology accepted," a smile spread across his face to accompany his still twinkling eyes.

"Thank you, Mike," she responded as a genuine smile spread across her face. "Would you kindly saddle Justice for me? I'm going to go for a ride."

"Yes, milady. Does anyone else need a horse?" He tried to subtly search for Quinn.

"Just me," her smile faltered a little, but she tried to keep a kind smile plastered to her face for the kind young man. "Quinn went back to the castle, and I'd like a solitary ride for once."

Mike gave her another questioning look. "Pardon me, milady, but is that advisable?"

"Probably not," she shrugged dismissively. "But if you keep it to yourself, I'll return in no more than two hours, and anything you desire or require from now on, I will personally grant. Starting with a room in the castle next to the one occupied by Sam and his family for you and your family. Or, if you would prefer, a house of your own adjoining the castle."

Mike considered for a moment. "I wouldn't require anything from you, milady. I would do as you asked no matter what, but I will also not turn down your offer."

"You are a very wise young man, Mike."

"Two hours?" he was still concerned for her safety, and it touched Santana, though she wouldn't admit it.

"No more than that," she smiled her best reassuring smile.

"As you wish, princess," he moved swiftly to prepare Justice.

"Thank you, Mike," she called after him.

She moved out of the stable to pace in the courtyard just outside as she waited for the return of Mike with Justice. She also used that time to make sure none of the stable workers would be able to witness her escape.

As soon as Mike had brought the large gold horse to Santana, he helped her mount him before she shot him a quick "Thanks" and galloped off to the woods. She had to get her act together and formulate a plan of attack for when she got back. If Quinn was happy with this mystery person and he treated her well, she would support them. If, however, he didn't see what he had in such a wonderful girl, she was determined to win this girl's heart. For now, she had to just work out how to contain the damage she had caused. Hopefully, she hadn't completely ruined her friendship with the most important person in her life. She might not even have a chance with this girl no matter what she did.

She didn't even realize she was crying until she couldn't see. She pulled Justice to a halt in a small clearing. She leaned over on his muscular neck, and just enjoyed the quiet strength of Quinn's favorite horse. "What have I done, Justice? What do I do now?" she whispered into the great beast's tilted ear.

Suddenly, both she and Justice jumped as there was a sudden cacophony of crashes and twigs breaking coming from behind them. She realized in that moment just how unwise she had been in insisting on coming out here alone. Several male voices seemed to come from every direction behind her. Whispers and shushes resounded as well as some groaning.

"Is that how you're planning on sneaking into the castle, Dave?" one voice growled.

"Yeah, Karofsky. Way to be quiet there. We have to make it BACK to the king with our report. Don't get us caught," another voice agreed.

_Were these people spies?!_ Santana began to panic as the voices got closer. If she took off now, they'd hear her for sure and probably catch her before she reached the castle. She gave Justice only a small encouragement to move forward at a creeping pace. She hoped he would be able to creep quietly enough that they wouldn't hear him over their own voices.

"Come on, guys. This is the first time I have been chosen for a scouting mission. I'm just a little excited," a voice whined a little louder than what was recommended for a, supposedly, covert mission. _That must be this "Dave Karofsky" they keep telling off._

She had barely made herself and Justice disappear into a very dark, very dense clump of foliage nearby before the five "scouts" appeared in the clearing behind her. Each man was leading a horse, and were dressed in peasant's clothes, not unlike that which a lot of the people in her town wore. She looked over her shoulder, assessing each of them to the best of her abilities, and attempting to memorize their faces so that when she reached the castle, she could warn her father.

"Tell me. How did you manage that? From what I have seen of you so far, I'm not AT ALL impressed," snarled another of the men, whom she hadn't heard before.

"Shut up," came another voice, hushing the others so effectively that Santana assumed he must be the leader. She, unfortunately, thought too late to stop Justice, who, at that very moment, stepped into a dead, extremely dry, crackly bush.

All five men shot up to attention and looked exactly in her direction. She took off as quickly as she could. "Mount, you brainless dumbasses! Get her!" she heard the leader yell.

She gave Justice all the reins he needed to run at top speed. Unfortunately, he was not as fresh as her pursuer's horses were, and she soon found them hot on her heels only about fifty feet back and gaining. She had no chance on her larger horse, so she made a rash decision. She would play the game she had as small children with Quinn. They called it "Wood Elves". The point of the game had always been to blend in the best they could with their surroundings. They had played it (with the supervision of Brittany's parents) almost monthly when they were kids. They could go like that for a week or two straight without needing the parents to provide meals or really anything for them. They built their little houses in the trees, caught their own food, and basically practiced survival skills without knowing it at the time.

She made a quick turn, and stood the best she could on Justice to grab a low hanging branch off the back of the already tall horse. She scrambled up into the tree as quickly as she could, and made her way around the tree by jumping through the branches carefully. The men still hadn't made the turn into the dense area, and once they did, they'd just follow the horse on instinct because they wouldn't see he was lacking a rider with how dark it was in here. She had never been more thankful for her knowledge of these woods. Even in the dark, she knew where she was.

Justice had taken off even faster now that she wasn't giving him extra weight, and she knew he would make a bee-line for the castle. The men couldn't catch him at this rate, as they had just made the turn and were losing ground on him in unfamiliar territory. He would be fine. She just had to hope that they wouldn't see her. Thankfully, she had put on a forest green dress this morning, so it shouldn't be too hard to blend in. She had also had enough practice with hide and seek when she was little to keep her breathing low and her body perfectly still. _I'll be okay. I was always the best at this shit anyway. They don't know anything about this land, and I could draw you a map solely composed of trees in this forest. I've SO got this covered._ Nonetheless, she held her breath as the thundering hooves passed under the other side of the tree.

She was about twenty feet up, so it would've been hard for them to see her, but it still didn't help her keep calm about peering around the other side of the tree. The sun was effectively blocked out by leaves and branches, so she took her time scanning the ground to be sure her eyes had completely adjusted to the darkness. She may be a princess, but she knew how to survive in these woods for days without any aid.

_I know what I'm doing. I just have to come up with a plan to get back to the castle to warn everyone. Where do I start?_ She slid down to get comfortable on the large branch. She needed to think, and to think, she needed to calm down. She took several deep breaths. _Who were they? What king were they talking about? More importantly, what now?_

**A/N: So sorry this took so long. Today has literally been my first day off all week, and Tuesday my elderly dog ripped her ACL, so I've been too depressed to write as we are trying to decide whether to pay for her surgery and take risks with her life anyway for a surgery that may not even work or keep her out of pain and put her down when her other ACL inevitably rips. Also, I had written several chapters ahead, but for added drama, I scrapped them. Yeah. I went a completely different direction than originally planned with basically the whole story from here on out, so idk how often I will be able to update. I will try my best to update ASAP. Let me know how you like it. I hope you all had a good week, and good days until I next update. Thank you again for reading, following, and favoriting. Sorry it's a shorter chapter. I just didn't want to leave you all hanging too much longer. As always, let me know if you see anything that needs to be fixed, grammar, inconsistencies, anything. I appreciate humble feedback. Don't tell me I'm brainless. I already know that, thank you.**

**Disclaimer: QUIT RUBBING IT IN! Also, see Chapter One.**


	8. Chapter 8

Tears streamed down her face. This couldn't be happening. She took off running down the halls. Though she could hear Brittany calling after her, she continued to run. This had to be some sort of sick joke to get back at her for kissing the princess. She ran out of the castle, down the path to the stables. She knew Mike would still be with Justice. "Mike!" she yelled the best she could into the barn, still trying to catch her breath and speak over the tears.

He came out of Justice's stall at the exact moment she collapsed to her knees, and rushed to cradle her. "Quinn, please breathe."

"I can't function without her, Mike. I screwed up big time. Please tell me how to fix this. Just tell me it's all a dream," she sobbed into her hands.

"I don't know what happened, but I know she loves you. They will find the princess. Men are out searching for her as we speak."

"What if they find her dead? Justice never abandons anyone and they said he came back like Hell itself was hot on his heels. Something bad happened. I just know it. I have to go find her."

"Quinn, the king ordered his thirty best scouts out to find her. And they will. Besides, he has the castle on lock down. You couldn't get anywhere near the gates," Mike attempted to reason with her, but Quinn was having none of it.

"Mike, I know those woods better than anyone else around here does. Better than the king does! Better than anyone besides San. I have to go look for her. If anyone can find her, it's me," she stood moving to get Justice's saddle.

Mike enveloped her in a strong hug from behind, preventing her from moving. "Quinn. If the worst did happen, which I'm not saying it did, but, if it did, the king has lost his daughter. Do you really think he'd even chance losing you, who he thinks of as another daughter?"

Quinn went limp as all her strength seemed to vanish. She barely managed to turn in Mike's arms to cry into his chest as she whispered, "She has to be okay. She just has to be. This is m fault. I love her so much."

Brittany, who had followed Quinn, watched the whole exchange, and gathered Quinn into her arms, giving Mike a small, sad smile before she began to lead Quinn back to her room in the castle. Quinn settled down and grew eerily calm on their way up to her room. Brittany watched as Quinn's face went blank and her eyes dead and hollow. She became increasingly worried as the girl seemed to become dead weight in her arms, allowing herself to be lead down the corridors.

As they passed Santana's room, however, Quinn froze. _This is entirely my fault. What if I drove her away? If they find her dead, I was basically the one who killed her._ She resumed being a rag doll. Brittany pulled her to her room, and she crawled into her bed while Brittany tucked her in. She snuggled with the pillow that still held her beautiful princess's scent. All she could do now was wait for what she was sure would be bad news. No matter how much she wished it would be good news, she knew in her gut that something was terribly wrong.

Brittany kissed Quinn's temple, then left her alone because that seemed the best course of action at the moment.

Quinn stared off into the distance. _San can't be gone. She can't. If she's hurt, she needs to be found immediately. I know San's favorite trails and stops. I should be out there with them. I wish I could go help out. What am I saying? Of course I can go help. San and I used to sneak out of the castle without anyone knowing all the time. I'm sure I can find her faster than the scouts without being seen. I'll have to go on foot, but I can make my way to the closest part of the forest in a couple of minutes if I run. If I climb through the tress, no one will see me to take me back to the castle. Once I find San, then they can take me back with her. _She shot up from the bed, changed her clothes, grabbed some extra clothing and a blanket, and packed them into a small back which she could strap to her back.

Her next order of business was to get some food and emergency supplies in case San was injured. She hid her bag under her bed, and pretended to mope down to the kitchen to get some food. On the way back to her room with her food, she told the physicians that one of the kitchen staff sounded sick. While they physicians rushed to help, she stole some basic dressings and supplies to take with her. She quickly shoved all of her stolen goods into her pack which she immediately strapped to her back. And last, but most certainly not least, she pulled a small mother of pearl knife, a large, but ornate dagger, a Scythian bow with beautiful, intricate designs (rather than her equally exquisite longbow), and a quiver of arrows from the array of weapons she had stockpiled under her bed, which she had stored there for years in case she needed to protect Santana.

Once she had strapped on the dagger and knife, and adjusted the bow and quiver over her shoulder, she used the adjoining doors to enter San's room. She moved to the far wall, and studied it for a moment. Suddenly, she saw it, the little keyhole which San and she had discovered when Santana had shoved Quinn into the tunnel by accident. They had found a key just inside the heavy door, and found the keyhole moments later. Apparently, no one in the castle, besides the two girls knew about the underground passage. She reached behind San's wardrobe where they had stored the little key, which they had put on a necklace in a pouch to help prevent its accidental loss. She pulled the pouch for the wardrobe's concealed compartment, placed the necklace around her neck to insure its safety, and forced the key into the lock, turning it with a goodly amount of strength.

Immediately, the stone shoved back into the wall, sliding slightly to the side. She took a good start, and body-slammed the inset part of what had, moments ago, appeared to be nothing more than a normal wall. It opened just enough for her small frame to fit through. She had always believed a wizard must have made this hidden passageway because, though there was no inlet for the sun, the walls shone like the full moon.

She shoved the door closed, and locked it, tucking the key into the top of her dress to hide it from sight, and prevent it from being unintentionally misplaced. As she reached the end of the tunnel that let out through a small, dried-up well, she realized how late it was becoming. The sun was setting.

She moved the protruding stone, which normally would not appear at all conspicuous to anyone but a couple of small girls playing in a new tunnel. She pulled it out, slightly sliding it to the right. A narrow, winding staircase slowly formed from the sides of the well. With all the speed she could muster, while remaining nearly silent, she skillfully and stealthily moved up the stairwell, peaking over the sides of the well so as not to be caught if anyone happened to be nearby.

When she had done a thorough scan of the area, and concluded that no one was in the surrounding vicinity, she hopped out of the well, crouched behind it, and pushed in a stone to trigger the stairwell to disappear as if it had never really been there. She calculated the time by the sun, and remembered that the watch would be changing in the next few minutes, so, more than likely, the men would be chatting right now. She took a deep breath and peeked over the top of the well at the castle behind her. She was about a hundred yards from the castle, but, being dressed in green, she probably wouldn't draw much attention to her movements. She exhaled as she turned toward the forest, and prepared for her sprint. It was now or never.

She shot off the stone wall and made it to the forest in, what had to be, her record time. She slowed down to catch her breath when she was sure no one from the castle would be able to see her.

_Next problem: climb a tree. I need a low limb_. She wasn't short, but she wasn't overly tall either. These were old trees that the landsmen and groundskeeper had cared for since before the time of the king's grandfather. Most of the low limbs had been cut when they were saplings to ensure that people could ride through these woods without having to worry about being knocked off their horses.

She scanned the nearby trees for limbs she could use to climb. _None. Time to improvise._ She ran at a nearby boulder, launching herself off the top of it and onto a relatively low limb. She was so drained from the day both physically and emotionally. Though she wanted to find Santana now, she knew she needed sleep. In this state, even if she did find an injured Santana, she wouldn't be of any use. She could barely climb the tree she was in now.

The darkness had settled in around her. _Soon, I won't even be able to see. I might as well get rest while I can. Tomorrow is going to be a long day._ She found a cluster of limbs higher up in the next tree over. It and five other trees had crossed limbs in such a way that it almost looked like a human-sized nest, and would both obscure her from view, and provide one of many perfect places in this forest for a temporary "base camp". There she could sleep without worry of falling or being seen and she could store her goods, clothes, food, and weapons without worry of them being stolen. The scouts would have set up their own group camps by now. Everyone's search for the lost princess would have to resume at dawn.

Though Quinn was sure she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, she at least had to rest a little. Hopefully, she could relax enough to catch at least a little sleep. Se would need all her wits and strength tomorrow to keep from being discovered. She bedded down for the night, and snuggled under her blanket.

Santana was either dead or alive as of right now. Quinn's gut told her something was wrong, but the connection she always felt in her heart to the beautiful princess told her that Santana wasn't dead. _I would know. I would feel it. I just know I would. She has to be okay. She IS alive._

Somewhere in the night she must've drifted off because, the next thing she knew, it was morning. She looked up through the trees at the sky. The colors indicated that dawn was just now breaking. Stretching, she ate something and gathered her supplies. She took a mental note of her location in case she needed to return to this place in the future for shelter or anything else.

She made her way through the treetops as skillfully as a person who had lived in the trees their entire life. Unfortunately, she hadn't only ever lived in the trees, or she would've noticed the person following her every move, slowly gaining on the unsuspecting lady's maid. All too soon, they would be on top of this newcomer and unwelcome guest to THEIR forest. She would disturb their territory no longer.

**A/N: Oh, me and my cliffhangers. Hold on by your fingernails. I will update ASAP. Sorry it took me so long again. Thanks for all the follow faves and reviews. My dog is okay for right now, but I think we may get her surgery. Work has been crazy, and scrapping my original plan has put me WAY behind on this story. Sorry if you don't like how this is going. Feel free to give me any suggestions as for what you think is going to happen or should happen. Let me know of anyone you would like to see in this fic. Thank you all for being so lovely. It really makes my day to see a new fave follow or review. That is the only payment I get for this work, and it keeps me going. Hope to talk to you soon, dears!**

**Disclaimer: I LOVE TURTLES! (Kind of...) Also, see chapter one.**


	9. Chapter 9

Santana jolted awake. It only took her brain moments to realize she was in a large tree and remember how she had gotten there. The only thing she couldn't figure out was why she had awoken so violently. At that very moment, she heard distant voices. Her body must've alerted to subconscious to be prepared if this sound proved dangerous. She leaned around the wide trunk of the tree just enough to see without being seen.

"I'm telling you. The princess is probably dead. She couldn't survive a day out here alone," a deep voice reasoned. "She can't change her own clothes, much less fight off a pack of hungry, angry wolves that we had to deal with last night."

"I don't know," another equally deep voice disagreed. Two knights wearing her father's coat of arms came into view. They were only allowing their horses to move at a snail's pace, obviously trying to make sure they didn't miss any evidence as to her whereabouts. "I think she's more capable than you imagine." Santana scoffed quietly and rolled her eyes. _Of course I am. I can change my own clothes. Kind of…_ "Besides, the king still wants us to find her, dead or alive. Preferably, the latter. We keep looking."

Just as Santana was about to reveal herself to the king's men, a loud commotion arose in the bushes below her and surrounding the two knights. Her stomach twisted. _Something bad is about to go down._

"Who goes there? Reveal yourselves in the name of the king," the knights bravely spoke in basic unison while drawing their swords.

Santana peeked around the tree a little more, though the sight before her caused her heart to race. The five men who had chased her only last night appeared from the bushes, forming a tight circle around the two doomed men. This was not going to end well, but if she tried to warn the men, the spies would catch her. Who knows what they would do to her? Especially if they found out who she was. She was just hoping they hadn't heard the knight's conversation up to this point. Staying silent was really her only option at this point.

"Who are you, and what is your business in these woods?" asked one of the knights.

The leader of the spies spoke with a smooth tone, but there was still an edge of malicious intent in his voice. "We are men from the next town over. We have been foraging for food for our families in these woods. Somewhere along the lines, we seem to have gotten ourselves lost in this vast expanse of trees, and are unable to find our way home. We need to get back to our families before they starve. How close is the nearest town from here?"

"Your families have fallen on hard times?" The spy nodded. "The king will gladly help you feed your families. He is a truly kind ruler. I have never heard of a more generous and kind master, lord, and king. What are your names?"

The spy leader seemed to become a little agitated with the turn of the conversation. He didn't have the information he needed from the men yet, obviously, or he would've killed them by now. He answered the knight's question, barely covering his distain. "This is David Karofsky, Jesse St. James, Sebastian Smythe, and Noah Puckerman. I am Hunter Clarington."

"Very well then, Hunter. We will be sure the king will assist you as soon as we have completed our mission out here. The castle is several miles behind us, but you until we find the princess, it will do you no good to go there. The king is not allowing anyone in or out of the city."

An evil glint entered Hunter's eye. "The princess is missing?" The knights nodded sadly, obviously missing the dark, menacing tone that had invaded Hunter's voice.

Santana mentally face-palmed after mentally slapping the shit out of the stupid knight._ Now they know I'm out here all by myself and they will begin searching for me._

The brainless, witless soldier continued to spew information. "Her horse came back to the castle without her just yesterday. The king fears that she is injured or dead. Apparently, there was evidence that she was violently wrenched from the steed's back. His Majesty sent almost thirty of us scouts out to search the forest for her. Ten of us made camp last night while the others continued searching for her. They must've gotten too far ahead to come back. They probably made their own camp, because they never came back last night or this morning." From the small smirk that grew on seemingly every single one of the five spies' faces, she had a terrible, sickening feeling that there was no other camp. The guard was oblivious, and continued to gush information to the evil men. "The ten of us split up into groups of two and headed in five different directions about an hour and a half ago, so I can't get anyone to escort you back to the castle right now, if I could I would."

The man Santana recalled was named Sebastian took a step forward, not even bothering to wipe the smirk from his face as he grabbed the reins of one of the scouts' horses. "So no one could hear you, even if you yelled?"

Dave similarly moved to grab the other horse's reins, allowing a smirk to take over his face as well.

It seemed to finally dawn on the stupid knights just what was going on and they lowered their swords to point at the men surrounding them. At this point, however, there was really no chance for them to leave this situation with their lives. "Who are you, really?"

Santana expected a massacre, but, much to her surprise, Hunter replied, probably just wanting to rub the answer in the scouts' faces before he killed them. "Servants of His Majesty, Dustin Goolsby."

"He is here to claim this kingdom and, consequently, all the kingdoms ruled by your king, as his own," Jesse added smugly.

Noah wanted his turn to speak, so he cut in. "He will find your princess, and, if she is alive, marry her. Whether or not he finds her, he will kill the king and take his throne."

"The will never let that happen! You will never even get into the castle!" The silent guard was apparently no longer content to remain so.

"If, or rather, when we find your princess, he will have no other choice than to open the gates and do as King Goolsby orders." Hunter nodded, and the other men dragged the scouts off of their horses.

Santana stopped watching, and plugged her ears when she began to hear screaming. It didn't take long for the noise to completely cease, and she unplugged her ears to listen for any more information.

"Puck, Jesse, hide the bodies. Dave and Sebastian, keep a good hold on those horses. We don't need them to get away and cause more suspicion. I'm going to climb this tree and see how far we are from camp."

Santana's heart leapt into her throat. _Not good. If he climbs this tree or either of the ones next to it, he will see me. There's no time to move. They will hear me at the very least. If they see me, they will know who I am._ Rustling in the leaves startled her once again. They sounded close, but she couldn't be sure which tree he was in unless she looked, and then she chanced getting caught. She just held her breath, and shot up a quick prayer.

The rustling continued to get louder. Santana just knew she was going to be spotted. It was going to happen. Then the whole kingdom was going to be in jeopardy because she was incapable of hiding for just one day. She would be the one that everyone would blame, as well they should. She closed her eyes, wishing she could just disappear. Her impending discovery would be worse than death.

All noise suddenly ceased. _This is it. They've found me._

"See anything, boss?" Dave called up.

"Yeah," Santana's eyes shot open. "We're only a few miles from the castle. Our camp is right over there, so we can head back. The other scouts will be dispatched with very shortly by the others of our company."

Santana realized the voice was coming from a few trees away. She was safe. She hadn't been caught. She glanced down when the rustling below her resumed. It had just been Jesse and the Noah/Puck guy hiding the bodies in some bushes near her tree. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief and relaxed.

"Come on. Let's head back and try to bring the king the good news about the missing princess first. Apparently, we should've questioned some of the other scouts before we killed them," Hunter chuckled triumphantly.

The others joined him in a chorus of evil chuckles. Slowly, each man disappeared in the direction of their camp.

Santana gave them a couple of minutes in case they decided to come back or were close enough to hear her move through the trees. In a few hours, she could be at the well that she and Quinn had discovered had a secret passage into the castle. Though the key that Quinn and she had discovered was in her room, she had made a couple of copies of the key and hidden them in the tunnel in case they had been locked out or needed to sneak in without being seen.

After she had waited for what she deemed to be a sufficient amount of time, she got up, and began to climb stealthily through the treetops. By nightfall, she was sure she would be back at the castle safely. She could warn her father of the planned battle, and get Quinn and the others to the safest parts of the castle before any attack was made.

Her mind drifted back to the beautiful blonde. True, she had more than likely damaged their friendship with that kiss, but she could come up with some excuse before she got back to the castle._ Thank goodness the castle is on lockdown. At least I know she's safe. I wonder if she worries about me at all. I have been missing for a few hours._ Her heart dropped. _She's probably just glad that the princess freak that kissed another girl is gone. She will never feel the same for me. Not in a hundred years. I hope whoever he is, he makes her happy and loves and cares for her the way I would._ She shook her head. _I have to focus on getting back right now. One thing at a time. Get back to the palace to warn everyone. Get back to the palace to protect Quinn._ She couldn't stop the small smile at the thought of seeing her Quinn, no matter how bitter-sweet it would be. She would still always love Quinn and be there for her._ Get back to the palace for Quinn._

Unbeknownst to Santana, someone followed her strides perfectly from a few trees over. So many people were in the forest causing trouble. They all had to be stopped. Something about this intruder was different, though. She may not be one of them, but she had extreme grace as she moved through the trees. This intruder had avoided the other intruders very skillfully, and, though they had been too far away to know what had occurred or had been said by the other intruders, obviously, this girl didn't want to be caught by them. Maybe, just maybe, the prophecies of their people would be fulfilled. For now, quietly watching seemed like the best course of action. Only time would tell if this newcomer was part of the great prophecy.

**A/N Sorry it took WAY too long to update this chapter. I'm hoping to had the next chapter up in the next few days. Santana will be out of the forest soon, I promise. Everything will be revealed soon as well. This story is really taking on a life of it's own, and I am actually kind of following the rapids of this river and taking the journey with you. I was kind of sad when on the last episode of glee *SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOST RECENT EPISODE SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH* Santana said that she hadn't even once thought about calling Quinn. I just hope in the 100th episode everything works out. I'm also hoping the rumors of Naya leaving glee aren't true. She is probably the main reason I watch the show. Without Quinn and Santana, it will probably go downhill fast. Plus, Cory's death just really affected everything they did. I really miss him. I guess the show just really depresses me lately. I can't believe it's almost done. I mean after next season, if I watch it depending on a few things, where am I gonna get my music fix?**

**Anyway, thank you all for the faves follows reviews and support. It really means a lot to me. Especially since that's the only payment I get for doing this. Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday! I should have an update up soon. I already have about half of it written, so I may surprise you.**

**Disclaimer: I don't get paid enough for this. See Chapter one already.**


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